Slytherin Marauders
by True Rayanne Adaire
Summary: Yes, I know the pairings are not at all canon. I didn't want them to be canon. I've always been a James/Sirius and a Severus/Lily shipper and I wanted to write that in here. No, James and Sirius are not gay. They are Bi-Sexual. Draco/Harry will also be included here because I absolutely adore that ship. Fremione will be included as will Nuna.
1. Prologue

_Hey guys! So I'm working on a new story. This one is an HP AU inspired by my best friend's story (The Junior Marauders by TrueWinchester168). I do have permission to use her idea and I'm taking that permission and sort of running with it. However, I'm also adding a few elements of my own. This story, also titled Junior Marauders (with her permission), is totally different than her story and I'm beginning to really love it. This makes four longer stories that I'm working on and I'm getting a schedule together of what I want done with them and how I want it done. I also have an update schedule that I'm definitely gonna try and stick to…when I get a computer that I can update on. Anyways, when you guys read this I hope you like it. Reviews would be pretty awesome too. _

_True Rayanne Adaire_

**Notes: The Marauders: **

**James Potter**

**Sirius Black**

**Remus Lupin**

**Peter Pettigrew**

**Lucius Malfoy**

**Severus Snape**

**Couples:**

**James – Sirius**

**Remus – Lena**

**Peter – Isabella**

**Lucius – Narcissa**

**Severus – Lily**

**Their Children:**

**Potter – Harry James**

**Lupin – Arden and Alex**

**Pettigrew – Killian**

**Malfoy – Draco **

**Snape – True**

**Junior Marauder Couples: (Probably appearing in Book 2)**

**Draco – Harry**

**Arden – Alex (Twincest!)**

**Killian – George**

**True – Ron**

**Hermione – Fred**

**Neville – Luna**

**Blaise – Ginny**

**Junior Marauders:**

**Harry Potter**

**Draco Malfoy**

**Arden Lupin**

**Alex Lupin**

**Killian Pettigrew**

**True Snape**

**Neville Longbottom**

**Ron Weasley **

**Blaise Zabini**

**Luna Lovegood**

**Fred Weasley**

**George Weasley**

**Yes, I know the pairings are not at all canon. I didn't want them to be canon. I've always been a James/Sirius and a Severus/Lily shipper and I wanted to write that in here. No, James and Sirius are not gay. They are Bi-Sexual. Draco/Harry will also be included here because I absolutely adore that ship. Fremione will be included as will Nuna. If you don't like the pairings I've chosen, please don't read this. The Junior Marauders is a large group. There are twelve people in it and they all will have their own role. It also features Seer!Albus…although most of his visions never come true due to different decisions being made. I hope you enjoy what I've written and remember to review. Flames will be deleted. Love you guys!**

**True**

**Prologue**

Lucius Malfoy was angry. For the first time in all the years they'd known him, the Marauders could see the Malfoy in him. His pale face was set in an angry line and the grip he held on his wand (his cane) was white-knuckled. It wasn't his fault, of course. Albus Dumbledore was at fault for this one. The Marauders stood behind their brother, ready to attack or defend on his behalf if need be. Seeing this, Albus lowered his wand and shook his head sadly as though they'd disappointed him somehow. Sirius snorted, shooting James an amused look. They'd stopped caring about disappointing him when Albus had told James to marry Lily. He'd said it would be a much better choice and that their child would grow to be a wonderful man. James, of course, had wanted nothing to do with the idea and neither had Lily. She had Severus and he had Sirius and that was the way things were supposed to be. Still, Albus had pressured them to marry each other and it had led to an epic shouting match in the Great Hall during their last year of school. That being said, they didn't really give an owls ass if the old bat was disappointed in them.

"My nephew will not be raised by the Dursley's, Dumbledore. They aren't even related to him! Harry is Sirius and James' child and he will be raised by them." Lucius said, voice low and quite dangerous.

Sirius chose that moment to speak up. "Harry will be raised by all of us. We're Marauders. We don't do anything alone. Much less child raising. Besides, Petunia hates Lily because of her magic, what would she do with a helpless child?"

Lily nodded, stepping forward out of Severus' arms. "Sirius is right. Harry would be miserable with my sister. Besides, he'll be much happier with his family. Voldemort is dead, Albus. We can protect our family."

Albus looked at them sadly. "I do not believe that he is dead, dear Lily. I believe he is in hiding."

Remus Lupin rolled his hazel eyes. "Either way Albus, Harry is not leaving our sight. After what happened tonight, how can you expect us to let you take him from us? That's unreasonable."

"It would be for his safety." Albus said.

James growled, handing Harry to Sirius as he stepped forward. "My son will be raised with the Marauders and that is final. Try and take my son away from me again, old man, and you will sorely regret it. I guarantee it."

Albus gave them one last beseeching look before saying, "Really…"

Severus Snape, the quietest of the Marauders, finally felt his own patience break. "Albus, I think you ought to leave now. Harry is safe with his family. And, after what has happened this night, my family needs time alone together. We need time to decide our next move."

Albus nodded. "I can see I will not win this argument. If you change your mind, seek me out."

Severus growled. "Leave, Albus."

"Will I be seeing you at the start of term?"

Severus shook his head. "No. The family will be leaving the country. We're going to America. I've accepted a job offer in the state of Colorado. A small Wizard school needs a Potions Master. Lily has accepted the post of Charms tutor. We'll be leaving in the morning."

Narcissa, Lucius' wife, showed Albus to the door and, surprisingly, didn't come back alone. She came back with Augusta Longbottom, matriarch of the Longbottom clan. The old woman carried in her arms a tiny baby, no bigger than Harry. There were tears streaming down the woman's face and her hands were shaking. Leading her over to a chair, Narcissa sat her down and then gestured for the rest of the family to take their seats.

"What's going on Augusta?"

"You knew, of course, about Frank and Alice?" she asked.

Sirius nodded. "Of course. They were killed by the Lestranges."

"Aurors dropped little Neville here off with me last night…but I can't possibly take care of him on my own. I'm too old to take care of a baby and besides, Alice and Frank named the Marauder family as his god parents. Collectively that is. I…would you take him?"

"Are you certain Augusta?" Lena Lupin asked, laying a gentle hand on Augusta's arm.

"I'm certain. I'd want to see him, of course. But…the raising should be up to you. You were the closest to my Frank and his Alice and…and you're a good family. He'll be happy with you. With me, I'd be afraid that I'd try and make him too like his father. I want this baby happy, of course."

"We're not staying in England, you understand. Until the children turn eleven, we're moving to America. A small town in Colorado where there's a magical school. Severus and I have accepted jobs there. We'd be happy to bring you out as often as you'd like, of course."

Augusta nearly cried with happiness. "That's perfect. I fear England may be unsafe for the time being. They haven't yet caught all the Death Eaters, you know. I'd be out to see him as often as possible and I desperately want to be in all the children's lives. I just want him safe."

Severus smiled at her. "We'll bring you down every weekend to spend some time with Neville and the others. They love you already, you know. Sundays are their favorite days of the week. We're leaving in the morning to go to America. You and Neville are welcome to stay at the Manor tonight."

"That would be lovely Severus. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's get everyone to their rooms and to bed. It's been a long day." Lucius said, voice mingling with Severus' as they said the same exact thing.

Narcissa stood up, taking Draco from Sirius' arms as she did so. As she stood, bringing Draco with her, Draco and Harry began to scream. Sirius and Narcissa stared at each other, more than a little bewildered, as the boys screamed louder the farther apart they got. Soon, their screams woke up the other babies and there was soon a house full of screaming one year old babies.

"What's going on?" James asked, a little frightened as his son and nephew stopped screaming the second they were close enough to touch.

Lucius stared at the babies thoughtfully and then shared a look with Narcissa who was also staring at them.

"They're acting like it hurts to be apart, Luc." She said meaningfully and his eyes widened.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Sirius asked, eyes wide.

"Probably. I…think…I think Draco's Veela gene is active. That would explain how the killing curse rebounded. Draco was protecting his Mate."

"Holy fucking shite Mate." James said, receiving a smack on the arm from Lily for cursing in front of the babies.

"Albus Dumbledore can never know about this. Ever. He'd use it to his advantage." Narcissa said, staring around at her family.

"Of course not. We'd have trouble. And I'm not about to put the babies in danger like that." Augusta said as the rest of the family nodded with her.

"We'll talk about this in the morning. Let's get the babies in bed and go to bed ourselves." Sirius said.

"Put Harry and Draco together. They'll need the closeness."

"For how long?" James asked.

Lucius shrugged. "I have no idea. Narcissa and I still can't be apart without being in near-constant pain. Some Veela couples never get over that. Normally, the gene doesn't become active until the Veela is seventeen. Draco and Harry…we can't truly say what will happen. We'll have to let them lead us when it comes to their sleeping habits…as well as everything else about their relationship. Anything they say makes the bond feel less strained is what we need to do for them."

"So if they say they need sex at eight years old…?" Sirius said and Lucius rolled his eyes.

"Siri…shut up. They won't be doing that at eight years old. No eight year old child is having sex at that age. They'll be closer than most children…but I think that's probably it." Lucius said, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

"Let's hope so."

Laughing and joking around, the small family retired for the night. They set Draco and Harry in Draco's bed and, almost immediately, Draco curled around the smaller boy protectively. Instead of squirming or waking like most babies would, Harry simply curled into the embrace and slipped deeper into sleep. Sirius, James, and Lucius stood and watched them for a little while, marveling at the fact that it had actually happened. Their children were Mated. It was a great honor to be a Veela's mate and Harry had that honor. At only a year old, Harry had the honor and the protection of being a Veela's mate. Sirius and James smiled at each other before leaving the room, knowing that Harry would be safe. Draco wouldn't let him come to any harm…and neither would the rest of the family.

The next morning everyone woke up bright and early. They gathered in the dining room together and said goodbye to Augusta, making quick plans for that weekend, before they headed to the large manor house that Lucius had purchased in Pueblo, Colorado. With all seven babies in hand, the Marauders left England behind forever.

_Eleven Years Later_

Draco was in trouble. Again. He had a slight tendency to not listen to anyone but Harry. It was, according to his parents, one of his worst qualities. This time, he'd pulled some prank on their next door neighbor and landed himself grounded for the eighth time in a month. Harry hadn't told him not to pull this particular parade because, honestly, he thought it'd be pretty funny. It _**had**_ been funny. The Marauders had laughed themselves silly…in a locked room away from the children…over it. But it had been mean. Draco, with Harry's Charms help, had bewitched the old woman's garden gnomes to talk to her. The poor woman, a squib, had been so terrified she hadn't been able to speak straight. The Junior Marauders were nearly as infamous at pranking in America as the Marauders were in England. They were only eleven but, in America at least, it wasn't illegal to practice magic at home. Therefore they had tons of pranking practice.

"Draco…" Lucius said, trying to look every bit the disappointed father he was supposed to be…instead of the proud one he really was.

"Yes papa?" Draco asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"When your mother asks, I gave you a strict talking to. But…that really was quite brilliant."

Father and son high fived each other, earning an eye roll from Harry, who was sitting next to Draco. Harry, engrossed in a book, looked up and grinned at them.

"Draco didn't really do much, you realize. The charm work was all me. Draco simply did the potion work for the potion we poured on top of the gnomes."

Draco shot him a dirty look. "If I hadn't done that, your charm wouldn't have worked."

Lucius cocked an eyebrow at them. "Harry's charm? Didn't you two get that out of a book?"

Harry shook his head, looking almost bored. "Nope. I created it myself. Dad's been helping me with that lately. Papa said I'm getting pretty good. This one is the first I've created. Can't wait to tell them both I managed it. They'll be pretty proud I reckon."

Sirius, who'd been listening outside the door, entered then and smirked at his son.

"Proud of you for what?" Sirius asked.

"Oh hey Dad. I created my first charm. And it worked! The gnomes actually talked. Although, it doesn't work without the potion that Draco created."

Lucius looked at his son, surprised. "You created that potion?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah. It took months…but I finally mastered it. You never wondered why Harry and I were always locked in the potions lab or the library together? He helped me with the potion and I helped him with his charm. This was our first big prank. We're testing ourselves for Hogwarts."

"You're Marauders…why weren't the others in on this?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "We paired up to work on things. It was too complicated to work on all at once. It's the way we work on things. We get the plan together as a whole, pair up to work on separate parts of it, and then we get together for the big reveal. It always works…and we always have an alibi."

James, who had just entered, gave them an amazed look. "Why didn't we ever think of that, Luc?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Our children are geniuses, Jamie. At eleven we were just barely learning charms and potions. Here they are creating them already. I'm so proud."

"So am I. You'll keep the Marauder name alive at Hogwarts."

The boys gave their fathers' a grin and left the room, talking quietly. As soon as they were gone James, Lucius, and Sirius sat down and were quickly joined by Severus, Peter, and Remus.

"What'd the boys pull this time?" Severus asked.

"Draco and Harry were testing what they'd been working on. It worked."

"Which was…?" Remus asked.

"Draco created a potion and Harry created a charm. Together, the potion and the charm made Justine's garden gnomes talk. I tried so hard to be disappointed in them but I just couldn't be. I'm too proud." Lucius said and the others laughed.

"I am too, actually. It's hard to create something like that. We have smart children." Lily said, coming to sit next to Severus with Narcissa at her heels.

"That we do." Narcissa agreed.

"You aren't going to yell at us for letting them off?" Lucius asked and the women laughed.

"No one was harmed in this prank. They made a few garden gnomes talk. Nothing offensive and they learned while pulling it. I couldn't be mad, dear. Besides, they have Marauders for fathers. What else am I supposed to say?" Lily said, sharing a smile with Narcissa.

With her next words, Narcissa changed the subject. "The children are ready to return to England for school shopping. Should we leave a bit early? We could always go have ice cream at Fortescue's."

"That sounds rather nice, actually." Severus said.

"Great. I'll go round up our children. Also, Sirius will get a hold of Arthur Weasley and arrange a meeting. I'd like to speak with his family about something important. Maybe we could get together at the Burrow before ice cream." James said, looking over at Sirius.

"What are we talking to him about?" Lily asked.

"Albus, of course. The Weasley's are a good family…if we need help protecting Harry from Albus' plans, we could always ask their older boys to help out. Arthur and I were pretty close in Hogwarts. We still write."

"Good idea, actually." Severus said.

The group dispersed to get ready to Apparate to England. Narcissa went to find Lena and Isabella. Lily went to find a different shirt. Severus, Remus, and Peter went to find something to eat before they left. James went to find the children. Sirius, however, headed over to the Floo to talk to Arthur. Arthur, luckily, was sitting on the couch when Sirius' head came through the fire.

"Sirius! Nice to see you mate." Arthur said.

"Nice to see you too Arthur. We need to arrange a meeting for today, actually."

"Sounds wonderful. When are you all coming to England?"

"In about an hour I'd reckon. Once the children finish getting ready and everyone comes together."

"All right. You can actually go ahead and apparate right into the Burrow. I'll make sure to let Molly know you're coming."

"Thank you Arthur. We'll be along shortly."

Arthur laughed. "I look forward to seeing all of you. I know Molly does as well."

"We do as well."

An hour later everyone was gathered together in the dining room. Each parent held onto their children's hand and apparated to a large house in the English countryside. The Burrow. As they came up to the door, Molly Weasley answered it and ushered them inside.

"Welcome dears. Arthur's in the living room waiting for you all."

"Thank you Molly." James said as they followed her into the living room.

In the living room, Arthur charmed the couches to fit everyone and they all sat down.

"We've come to tell you something and, if you would be so inclined, to ask for some assistance." Sirius said.

"Of course. If there's something we can do, we'll surely do whatever we can to help you."

"Everyone believes that it was Harry who defeated Voldemort…correct?" James asked.

Arthur nodded. "That's what Albus said."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "He didn't. It was Draco's Veela gene. Because his mother and I are both half-Veela, Draco too has the Veela gene. When it sensed that Harry was in danger, it activated and rebounded the Killing Curse. As far as my research so far has gone, Draco is the youngest Wizard to have his Veela gene activate. He was only a year old when it activated, after all."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Goodness. Why doesn't Albus say anything?"

"He doesn't know. Shortly after everything happened, Albus came to the house. He wanted us to give Harry to Lily's sister to raise. The Dursley family. We refused."

"Harry's not going anywhere near that family." Draco said, wrapping an arm tight around Harry's shoulders.

"You're right Draco. He's not." Severus said.

"What can we do to help?" Molly asked, standing behind her husband.

"Albus is still threatening to take Harry to live with the Dursley's. We'd like to speak with your older sons about watching him while he's at Hogwarts. The children generally keep track of each other but extra protection would be nice. We'd pay you, of course."

Molly and Arthur looked at each other. "There's no need to pay us. We'll gladly help. What Albus is thinking, sending a boy to live with Muggles, is beyond me. The Dursley's aren't even related to him, are they?"

James rolled his eyes. "Of course we'll pay you. Both you and the boys. And no…he's definitely not related to the Dursley's. Petunia Dursley is Lily's sister."

Molly nodded and called for four boys. "Fred! George! Ron! Percy!"

A few seconds later, four red-haired boys came running into the room. Well three of them did. Percy walked quietly into the room, giving his brothers a disdainful look. The twins, identical boys, were grinning at each other as they entered the room. The youngest, a tall boy named Ron, was glaring at the oldest boy, Percy.

"Yes mum?" Ron asked.

"Sit down boys. We need to discuss something with you."

The boys sat down and listened to the extraordinary tale. When it was over, they readily agreed to keep a close eye on Harry. Even Ron, who was the exact same age, agreed to keep an eye on Harry when Dumbledore was around. Afterwards, the Marauders asked the Weasley family if they'd like to go to Diagon Alley together. Everyone, of course, agreed and they set off to the Apparation point together, laughing and talking amongst themselves. It took five minutes for each family to apparate to Diagon Alley and an additional five for them to meet up again in the square.

"Gringotts first." Lucius said.

"Of course."

The group headed towards Gringotts, ignoring completely the astonished looks they were getting from onlookers as they passed. Until, of course, Rubeus Hagrid came to stand in their way. Hagrid was known to be Albus Dumbledore's right hand man. He was a half-giant who also doubled as the game-keeper for Hogwarts.

"Can we help you Hagrid?" Severus asked.

"I'm here to take young Harry to see Albus."

Draco, standing at his usual post next to Harry, growled and pulled him closer. "He'll not be going with you. Harry's not to set foot near that man without me." He said, narrowing his eyes at the half-giant.

"Now we don't need to fight about this." Hagrid said, stepping towards Harry.

Draco's Veela instincts summoned a force shield and Hagrid, unsuspecting, ran into it. His eyes widened as he tried repeatedly to pass it and couldn't. Harry, more than a little afraid, backed into Draco's side and hid his face in Draco's neck. Draco's scent, peppermint and chocolate, calmed him almost immediately. As his Mate tightened his hold on him, Harry let out a breath and turned to his fathers. Sirius and James were glaring at Hagrid as though they thought their glare could burn him up. Sirius raised his wand at Hagrid before speaking in a loud voice.

"Step away from my son, Rubeus. Go back to Albus and tell him it didn't work. You are not taking my son from me!"

Hagrid, looking a little shocked, nodded and hurriedly walked away. Draco, still looking a little angry and pale, kept the force shield up for a few more seconds just in case. When Hagrid didn't return he dropped it and turned to pull Harry into both arms. Harry was shaking and was even paler than Draco normally was.

"Harry? Talk to me." Draco whispered, ignoring their family's presence around them.

"He almost took me. Dray…he almost took me away from you."

"Never. I'll never let anyone take you from me." Draco growled, silver-blue eyes lighting up with rage.

"Promise?"

"I swear it on our lives."

"Okay. Can we finish our shopping now?"

Draco laughed and straightened. "Of course. Let's hurry."

The boys turned to their parents and, at Draco's nod, the group began their walk to Gringotts again. Little did they know that their encounter with Hagrid would not be the last.

_Author's Note: Okay that's the end of the Prologue. The next chapter starts when they're already at Hogwarts. We'll jump between Hogwarts and the Marauders because the Marauders will be doing something pretty important…as will their children. I'm pretty excited about this story and hope you like it too. _

_True Rayanne Adaire_


	2. Hogwarts

_Author's Note: Here's the first chapter! Enjoy!_

_True._

**Chapter One**

_Hogwarts_

September first arrived bright and early. The Marauder household was alive with noise and action as they all prepared to board the train that morning. True, Severus and Lily's daughter, was done packing and had therefore decided to wander about the house saying goodbye to her favorite rooms and to her pets that, unfortunately, were not allowed at Hogwarts. She had two pets that she couldn't take to Hogwarts and two she could. The two she could not take were a panther and a wolf. Both male, the animals had been gifted to her last year by Uncle Lucius and she loved them both. She would, of course, be taking her pet snake Kora and her cat Belle. She'd miss Hunter (her Panther) and Lissa-Belle (her wolf) but they'd be here waiting for her when she got home. Besides, if she did take them to school, they'd probably just scare people.

Arden and Alex, Remus' twin sons, were busy doing last minute packing. This of course meant stuffing things into their trunks without folding or placing them neatly. Arden, the older twin finished first and lay back on his bed to get at least a few more minutes of sleep as his twin raced from the room to go and find their pets. Each Marauder child had two pets, a snake and something else. Arden's pets were a Boa Constrictor and an owl. Alex had a Python and a cat named Lucy. Their snakes had to get special clearance from Dumbledore in order to be able to go but, and Severus thought he'd only given it to get back into their good graces, he'd given his okay quite easily. Finding their pets, Arden quickly placed them into their cages and shrunk them before heading back to the bedroom to lay beside his brother. After all, even the more responsible twin had to sleep a little.

Having finished everything he needed for the morning, Killian was simply relaxing and, if he was honest, on the edge of sleep. Killian's father was Peter Pettigrew, the youngest of the Marauders, but Killian himself was the oldest out of the Junior Marauders themselves. He was also the most responsible if he did say so himself. His Python was wrapped around his shoulders and his cat was sleeping across his lap and it was for this reason that his father gave a slight shriek when he walked into the room. Everyone knew that Peter hated snakes. The fact that he was married to a snake animagus was not only funny but also quite ironic and Killian just loved to tease him about it.

Harry and Draco, who shared a room and were currently trying to pack their trunks neatly in the space of an hour, were currently talking quietly. Harry was absolutely convinced he'd be sorted into Gryffindor and Draco thought he was being ridiculous.

"It'd make sense, Dray. Dumbledore wants to get to me pretty badly. He could easily convince the sorting hat to sort me into Gryffindor." Harry said, closing his trunk.

"Harry if you are sorted into Gryffindor, I'll laugh so hard I pee myself. You possess more Slytherin qualities than anyone else I know. You're a damned parselmouth for Salazar's sake. Quit worrying. You'll be sorted into Slytherin no problem. You're cunning, ambitious, and you know more ways to sneak around than even I do. Knock it off. You're turning my stomach into knots, Harry."

Harry sighed and wrapped his snake around his neck. "All right Dray."

His snake, an American Rattlesnake, lifted its head and looked him in the eye. It didn't say anything but it butted its head against his cheek as a sign of comfort and Harry smiled as he locked his trunk. Draco locked his a few seconds later and stood up, calling his eagle over to him. Harry's own bird, an Ice Phoenix, flew over to him and perched on his shoulder. Together, the two boys headed downstairs with their pets to meet their parents by the door.

"Is everyone ready?" Isabella Pettigrew asked, staring around at the children assembled in front of her.

"Yeah." They said, nodding eagerly.

"All right. Everyone grab on to an adult and let's hit the road."

A few seconds later, the Marauders and their children had apparated to Platform 9 ¾ where the Hogwarts Express was currently sitting. It was already two minutes to eleven and the parents quickly gave their children a kiss on the head before Severus, James, and Sirius took them to board the train. The three adults led them to a private compartment for a quick talk before letting them scatter their own ways.

"We'll be leaving in just a sec and then you guys can start your planning. We just need to make sure you guys know a few things." Sirius said.

"All right." Killian answered, stowing his trunk beneath his seat.

"First off, we want none of you alone with the headmaster. And if you have to be DO NOT accept candy from him. They're laced with a light compulsion serum. Also, DO NOT directly into his eyes. He's an accomplished legilimens and can read your mind just by looking into your eyes." Severus said.

"Second, and last, should anything go wrong come and find one of us. Do not go to Albus. Especially you Harry, I don't want you anywhere near that man alone." James said.

"Yes Papa." Harry said.

"All right. We'll leave you all alone now. Have a good trip!"

The Junior Marauders left the compartment, grinning widely at their fathers and then each other. As they headed down the corridor, searching for a compartment, they met with the Weasleys. Ron, Fred, and George at least. Percy, Ron told them with a slight smirk, was with a girl but sent his regards. Together, the Weasley-Marauders, slipped into a compartment. It was slightly over-packed and Killian, thankfully, waved his wand around it to open it up a bit. Finally, everyone had a bit of leg room and they could all sit and converse comfortably.

"We hear you lot are pretty good in the pranking department." Fred said.

The Junior Marauders looked over at each other. "Of course we are. Our parents were the original Marauders, you know. Legendary at Hogwarts for their pranking."

George leaned forward. "This can go one of two ways. We can compete at Hogwarts…and cause chaos. Or we can join together and cause a whole different kind of chaos."

Killian smirked. "We were thinking of adding a few more Marauders into the mix anyways. We've heard of the legendary Weasley twins and we'd be proud to join with you."

"Great. Why're you lot adding more people into the mix anyways? You're a large group as it is." Fred commented and the Marauders laughed.

"The bigger we get the more we can do. We have a system, one we'll have to share with you before we pull our first prank, that's always kept us out of trouble. It'll work even better when we have more people." Draco said and Harry smirked.

"Besides, can you imagine the magnitude of the pranks we can pull as a bigger group? Hogwarts has no idea what it has coming." Harry said.

A sudden knock at the compartment had them opening the door. A tall, dark skinned boy stood there, holding the arm of a petite brown haired girl. They stepped inside quickly, the boy making sure to keep an arm around the girl at all times.

"Thanks. My name is Blaise Zabini and this is my best friend, Hermione Granger. We sorta grew up together."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Also, you just saved us from having to hex someone before we've even arrived at Hogwarts." She said, grinning at Blaise.

The Junior Marauders exchanged looks. "Who would you have had to hex? And why?" Arden asked, smiling a little.

"Pansy Parkinson, one of the most annoying girls on the face of the earth, of course." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Watch out for that one. If you're not a pureblood, she'll attack you. It's why she attacked Hermione. And still does. 'Mione's a muggleborn but we've known for a while that she's a witch." Blaise said.

"Parkinson…I know that name. Her parents were thought to be Death Eaters but no one could figure it out for sure."

"The very same."

"Zabini…let's see. Your parents are neutral. You're a pureblood. How'd you meet Hermione?" Draco said thoughtfully.

"She lives down the street from me. We've known each other since we were small. She's like my sister. I've been protecting her from Parkinson since we were little."

"That's good. You're welcome to stay here. Parkinson steps foot inside this particular compartment and she'll find herself on the receiving end of a very painful prank once we get to Hogwarts." Killian said, leaning back in his seat.

"You'd be the Junior Marauders then. Blaise and I have heard quite a bit about you all."

"Good to know our reputation precedes us. How good are you at pranking?" Arden asked, looking thoughtfully at the two friends.

Hermione gave them a small smile. "We've pulled quite a few in our time together. During the summertime, when I didn't have muggle school, Blaise and I took the opportunity to prank Parkinson. She's quite often found at the Zabini estate because her father is trying to get a marriage contract out of Mr. Zabini."

Blaise scrunched up his nose. "Which is never going to happen, mind you. I'm almost a hundred percent sure that I'm bent. And even if I'm not completely bent…Parkinson looks like a toad. I'd sooner marry a snake than marry her."

"How would you like to join us? We're looking to add two more members to our group and it certainly seems like you would perfect. You both have a good sense of humor and I'm sure you'd add some good pranking ideas to the group."

"Bloody hell you don't even have to ask. We'd be honored to join you." Blaise said, earning a grin from Hermione.

"What he said." She said, grinning around at everyone.

"Brilliant. How big does this make us, Dray?" Harry asked and Draco counted.

"Twelve so far but we'll also check around with next-years first years as well. Ginny Weasley will be in that group as will Luna Lovegood. Luna might as well be a Junior Marauder already with all the help she's already given with our pranks. And Ginny, from what Fred and George say, is a pretty good prankstress herself. We'll add them next year as we promised Luna."

"That'll make fourteen. That's plenty big enough." Arden said and the others nodded.

"We're quite rude. I forgot to introduce everyone here. I'll start then. Name's Killian Pettigrew. My father is Peter Pettigrew or Wormtail as he's called at home."

Arden stood forward and said, "I'm Arden and this is Alec Lupin. Our father is Remus Lupin or Moony."

True stepped forward next, shaking her long red hair out of her face. "I'm True Snape and my father is Severus Snape or Scales as he is normally called."

Harry stepped forward and grinned. "I'm Harry Potter and my fathers' are James Potter or Prongs as he's called and Sirius Black-Potter or Padfoot as he's called."

Draco smirked as he stepped forward. "I'm Draco Malfoy and my father is Lucius Malfoy or LeatherWings as he's called."

Neville stepped forward last and said, "I'm Neville Longbottom and I don't have a Marauder parent."

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "Nev, your Marauder parent is all of them. We've told you this a million times."

Blaise and Hermione shared a look and then Hermione said, "It's nice to meet you all. We've heard about your reputation."

"We should get nicknames as well. Not based on our animagus forms, our dads already did that, but based on our personalities. That way, if we have to write each other or leave notes for each other, we can leave it in the form of nicknames. No one would know who's who and we'd get out of trouble." Blaise said Draco's eyes widened.

"Bloody brilliant! Why haven't we ever thought of that?"

Harry smirked. "We never had a reason, of course. Let's figure it out before we get to Hogwarts."

Killian smirked. "Harry's should be King. He and Draco are usually the leaders and so their names should reflect that."

"Perfect. Draco should be Prince because he sometimes acts like a pompous little prince." Harry said, earning a grin and an eye roll from Draco.

"Arden should be Thinker because he's the thoughtful one." Alex said.

"Alex should be Twizzler because he's always eating them."

"Killian would have to be Brawn because he's so big and he has a tendency to use his size to his advantage." True said, grinning.

"I think True should be Sly because she's so cunning and she get away with almost anything."

"Neville should definitely be…Lionheart because he has the heart of a Gryffindor but the attitude and brain of a Slytherin."

"Ronnie should be Stretch because he's so bloody tall." Said Fred, smirking.

"I think Fred and George should be Mirrors because they do everything alike. No sense giving them separate names when all they'll do is write their letters and notes together." Ron answered.

"Blaise and I already have nicknames for each other. He's Clyde and I'm Bonnie. They were muggle outlaws and we rather liked their story so that became our nickname."

"Perfect. Next year when Ginny and Luna come we'll give them their nicknames. Well, Luna has hers. Luna is Dreamer. It's how she signs all her letters to us." Draco said."

"Now that that is done let's discuss something else. Something of equal importance to pranking." Neville said, glancing at Harry.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"Albus Dumbledore. He wants to take Harry away from us, to make him live with Muggles. He's an accomplished Legilimens, which means he can read your mind just by looking in your eyes, and would use that against you if it meant getting to Harry. Our family, and that now includes you and Blaise, has an agreement to never be alone with him. Especially Harry. If you see him trying to lead Harry someplace, go over there and interrupt. None of us need to be anywhere alone with that man. And if you have to be alone with him make sure you report to James or Sirius Potter or Severus Snape. They'll make sure he didn't do anything." Pausing, Neville said, "Did I miss anything?"

"Don't accept candy from him. His candy is coated with a compulsion serum. It'll make you do whatever he wants." True said.

"Understood. We're to stay away from the Headmaster unless we absolutely have to be near him and to make sure Harry especially isn't left alone with him. Easy enough." Blaise said, sharing a grin with Neville.

Neville nodded. "That's right."

"What house do you all hope to be in?" Blaise asked, changing the subject.

They looked at each other before answering in a single voice, "Slytherin most likely."

"Why Slytherin? Most of the snakes are right gits." Fred asked.

"We'd like to change that. But really it all comes down to our personalities. We all have the personality of a Slytherin. It's a complete myth that all Slytherins are evil." Draco said, leaning his head against Harry's shoulder.

Harry yawned. "Dray's right. We're all sneaky, probably too cunning for our own good, and ambitious."

Killian glanced over at Harry and Draco. "How late were you guys up last night?"

Draco sighed. "Don't remember. Harry couldn't fall asleep and I don't sleep when he doesn't."

Neville rolled his eyes. "Why don't you two go find a quiet compartment and get some sleep?"

Harry looked at them. "We can sleep tonight. I'll sleep better if I don't sleep now anyways. Besides Dray doesn't like to sleep on trains because it makes him feel sick. We'll be okay."

Draco nodded his agreement, head still placed on Harry's shoulder. Around them, the other Marauders were talking quietly about the prank they were going to be pulling when they got to Hogwarts. Draco and Harry, however, were dozing off slightly. Not sleeping, of course, just resting so that they'd be awake enough to get through the sorting ceremony. Well, Draco was dozing. Harry was openly snoring. Five minutes later, Draco too was asleep and Killian was laughing as he took in the sight of his siblings sleeping so close together. Though it was a commonly known event that the two slept together, it was always cute to see them at it. No one would ever actually tell Draco or Harry that, of course, as they'd probably hex whoever said it.

"Do they always sleep like that?" Blaise asked quietly.

Arden nodded. "Draco's a Veela. He's the youngest in history to find his mate. Harry is his mate. They can't sleep apart or they feel like their insides are being torn out. Uncle Lucius and Uncle James tried to make them sleep apart once, just to see if they could, and Harry ended up in Draco's bed by morning. We don't try it anymore."

"Wow. I know I'm a Veela…but I have no idea who my Mate will be."

"Do you think it'll be Hermione?"

Blaise scoffed. "Definitely not. 'Mione's my little sister."

"Blaise is right. We couldn't ever be romantically involved. It would be like dating my brother." Hermione agreed, giving Blaise a bright grin.

"That's not a bad thing in the Wizarding World, you know." Fred told her, grinning.

"Really? But incest is so…well it's taboo in the muggle world."

"Muggles are different. We have protective spells to keep any babies conceived by siblings safe. And there are also male pregnancy potions and the like for homosexual males." George said.

"How do you guys know all of that?"

Fred smirked. "Our brothers Bill and Charlie have been together for a while now. They came out about a year ago."

"That's pretty interesting actually."

"Mum was shocked at first but she got over it after a while."

Hermione glanced at the sleeping figures of Harry and Draco. "What if Dumbledore says they have to sleep in their own beds?" she asked.

"They won't listen. Draco especially. He'll just tell the old man to shove it and climb in bed with Harry."

"Why not just tell Dumbledore about them being Veela and Mate?"

"If Dumbledore finds out, he'll probably use it to his advantage. He could say that Draco is too dangerous for Harry. If he goes to the Ministry, he could have custody of Harry in a heartbeat and that's the last thing we want."

"They can separate them forcefully? But it would kill Draco!" Blaise said.

"They don't really care too much about that anymore. The ministry here only cares that Draco is technically half-creature. Dumbledore could use that to his advantage."

"He wouldn't dare." Draco's voice said from Harry's shoulder.

He opened one eye and looked at them before continuing. "Dumbledore is rather scared of the Marauders. He knows how much power they hold. He also knows how protective they are of the children. If he touches us in any way, he knows the Marauders will come after him."

"Then…why not be open about what you are?"

Draco gave a rather small grin. "Everyone knows that I'm a Veela. Very few people, however, know that my gene is active. We're being discreet because we don't want an unnecessary fight with Dumbledore. Father thinks we'll have to confront him eventually, though." He said, closing his eye again.

True nodded her agreement. "Draco's right. Fighting with Dumbledore right now would be pointless. We'd win…but it would be temporary. Dumbledore still has a lot of power in the ministry." She said, swinging her long curtain of red hair out of her face.

Killian gave her a look. "We have more pull in the ministry than he does. We have Lucius Malfoy on our side. It's why he hasn't used the ministry against us. He knows we'd use our ministry pull to get him in trouble."

Draco shrugged. "I don't really care how he thinks he's gonna do it. It isn't gonna work. Harry's staying right where he is. Anyone tries to take him from me and they're not going to like the consequences."

Killian grinned at him. "We know Drake. Now go back to sleep."

"Can't. Harry's awake."

"No he's…oh."

Harry's eyes were open, blinking blearily as though he were trying to figure out what was going on. As he blinked around at his siblings, they grinned at him. A sleepy Harry, in their opinion, was a cute Harry. No one would ever actually tell him that, of course, because he'd hex whoever did say it.

The train stopped at the station and they all stood up, leaving their trunks behind. They'd been told that someone would come and bring their belongings back up to the school. They didn't, of course, leave behind their snakes. The snakes didn't like strangers touching them and would be apt to bite anyone that tried. Harry wound his snake around his neck and grabbed onto Draco's hand nervously as they passed Hagrid. Hagrid gave them a hesitant smile but didn't do anything threatening as Harry and Draco climbed into a boat with Hermione and Blaise.

The ride to the school was quiet, all four students too excited for conversation. Harry clung to Draco's hand, stomach feeling slightly queasy with nerves. Draco rubbed his thumb over Harry's hand, silently comforting him in the best way he could. When they were at the school, Harry and Draco walked with linked hands into the school. McGonagall told them to wait in the entryway until she came for them and the siblings waited with the others, all standing quite close together.

_AN: And this is where my story really differs from JK's. Fred and George are NOT Gryffindors. They're Slytherins. This is for a good reason. _

When they were finally led into the Great Hall, they held their heads high and waited for their names to be called. Hermione was called first.

"Granger, Hermione."

Hermione grinned nervously as she sat down on the stool. The hat took nearly ten minutes to decide but it finally shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Longbottom, Neville."

Neville straightened his shoulders as he headed over to the hat. It slipped down over his face for five minutes before sorting him into, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Lupin, Arden."

Arden smirked and walked to sit atop the stool. A few seconds later, the hat shouted. "SLYTHERIN!" Arden was still smirking as he walked over to sit across from Fred and George.

"Lupin, Alexander."

Alex was openly grinning as he went to sit on the stool. The hat had barely touched his head with it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" Grinning, Alex went and sat next to his brother.

"Malfoy, Draco."

Draco gave the infamous Malfoy smirk as he headed to the stool. Like Alex, the hat barely touched his head before announcing, "SLYTHERIN!" to the entire school. The smirk was held in place as he walked to sit next to Alex, holding two thumbs up to Harry.

"Pettigrew, Killian!"

Killian flashed a smile over at Harry as he was sorted into, "SLYTHERIN!" as well. And then it was Harry's turn.

"Potter, Harry."

Harry smirked, much like Draco had, and sat down on the stool. The sorting hat covered his eyes.

'_I was told to sort you into Gryffindor…but you wouldn't do very well there.' _It said.

'_Not Gryffindor. Please not Gryffindor.' _Harry said back, hands gripping the sides of the stool.

'_No. You're right. You'd do better in, "SLYTHERIN!"_

Turning, Harry smirked at Dumbledore before going to sit next to Draco. Draco beamed at him as True's name was called. She, like the rest of them, was sorted into Slytherin though she said it had contemplated Gryffindor of all things. Draco laughed at that. Ron's name was called and they quieted. When the sorting hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" in response to Ron, the entire house cheered along with Fred and George. Blaise, as was probably obvious, was sorted into Slytherin as well and then the sorting was finished. Dumbledore stood up, almost glaring at Harry, and spoke.

"I demand a re-sort of Harry Potter." He said.

"I don't think so." James Potter said, glaring at Dumbledore.

"My son is happy with his house. There's no reason for that. Attempt a re-sort, Dumbledore, and we will all leave Hogwarts for good." Sirius said, sharing a look with James.

"All right then. Let the feast begin."

Smirking to themselves, the Slytherin Marauders began to eat and talk. First year, they knew, was going to be just the beginning of a wonderful thing.


	3. Taken

**Chapter Two**

_Taken_

The next morning found Harry and Draco alone in the common room. In front of them was Albus Dumbledore. Half awake, Harry was half-laying on Draco's shoulder as they waited for Albus to start speaking. While Harry was half-awake, Draco was wide-awake and waiting with bated breath for Dumbledore to start speaking. They knew what they were in trouble for, of course. They'd been caught sleeping in the same bed. Draco supposed Dumbledore would try and ban them from sleeping together but, after a quick talk with their father's, they'd get it overturned. If not, they'd go back to America and attend school there.

"Do you know why you're here boys?" Dumbledore asked in his grandfatherly voice.

Harry yawned and again placed his head on Draco's shoulder, ignoring the question.

"Harry my boy, please keep your body on your own cushion."

Draco glared. "I don't care who you are old man. If you attempt to separate us in any way, we will go straight back to America. Am I clear?"

Dumbledore glared right back. "Mr. Malfoy, I'd like to remind you that you are a student and in no way able to make those decisions. Now, moving on to your sleeping arrangements, if I find you in the same bed again Harry will be resorted whether or not your father's agree. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry straightened and glared at Dumbledore. "Very clear. However, my fathers will be very interested in hearing this new information. Come Dray, let's go talk to Dad and Papa."

Without waiting for a reply, the two boys headed out of the common room and towards the dungeons where James, Sirius, and Severus were no doubt having tea together before the start of classes. When they burst in, angry and red-faced, Severus and Sirius were the first to climb to their feet.

"What's happened?" Sirius asked.

Harry glared at the floor as Draco talked…shouted. "THAT BLOODY OLD COOT! I'LL KILL HIM I SWEAR."

"Draco, what happened? What has Dumbledore done?" James asked.

"He's threatened us. Says if we don't start sleeping in our own beds, I'm going to be resorted. Dad, Papa, we can't sleep if we're not together. It hurts!" Harry said, rubbing Draco's back to calm him.

"That bloody old coot. We'll deal with him guys. Go and get ready for the day."

"All right. If he tries to resort, we want to go back to America. We'll not be separated." Draco said firmly.

"It won't come to that Draco. If Dumbledore values having the supposed "Boy Who Lived" at Hogwarts, he'll knock it off."

There was a knock at the door and then Dumbledore stepped in.

"That was very rude Harry my boy." He said.

"Rude? Rude is telling us we can't sleep in the same bed just because you dislike it. There's no rule against it. And besides, Harry can't sleep if I'm not there. It will physically hurt him." Draco said, glaring hatefully at the headmaster.

"And why will it physically hurt him?"

Severus and Sirius shared a look. "Harry and Draco have been blood bonded since they were born. Being apart hurts them both." Sirius said. It was a half-truth, of course. All Veela and their Mates were born with a blood bond.

"Why would you blood bond two children? You realize I have to report this, don't you?" Dumbledore asked, his disappointed grandfatherly voice back full force.

"They were born like that, Dumbledore."

"I highly doubt that Severus. I'm sorry but I will be reporting this as soon as I can."

With that said, Dumbledore swept from the room. Harry, shaking, collapsed against Draco. Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulders and stared up at the three men in front of him, scared.

"What're we to do Papa?" Harry asked.

"Go and get the others. Anyone you care about. We're going to arrange a meeting with the parents."

"There are only two that aren't in our usual group…but we'd like them included."

"Names?"

"Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini."

"I know Blaise's mother, I'll send word to her to come and pick them up. She has magical guardianship of the Granger girl." Severus said.

"We're gonna go get everyone." Draco said, blinking back tears.

"Hurry." James said, wrapping an arm tightly around Sirius.

Running back to the Slytherin Common Room, Draco and Harry began to scream for their siblings. When at last they were all gathered in the common room, Draco spoke in a trembling voice.

"We're leaving Hogwarts guys. Now. We're meeting Sev and James And Siri in Severus' rooms."

Blaise blinked. "All of us?" he asked.

"Yeah. Your mom is gonna come and get you. Dumbledore…he might take me away and…and Daddy's scared."

"He might do what?!" True's voice was dark, protective.

"We'll talk about this later True. We've gotta go. Now."

Together, the twelve Marauders ran down the corridor to Severus' rooms. Severus was waiting with James, Sirius, and a tall lady with black hair and violet eyes.

"Is everyone here?"

Fred Weasley nodded. "Yes sir."

"All right. We're Flooing to the Burrow. Molly and Arthur are waiting there. From there, we're going to Floo back to America to speak with the others."

Blaise nodded. "All right."

Isabella Zabini looked at her son. "I will meet you and 'Mione at the America mansion. I've got to apparate their with the Grangers. Mind your manners."

"Yes mother."

One by one, the Marauders Flooed to the Burrow. When they were all there, Molly and Arthur gave them all hugs before turning to the fireplace.

"Is everyone ready? We should do this quickly. I fear what Albus will do when he realizes the children are gone." Severus said.

"We're all here Daddy." True said, stepping forward to take some Floo powder.

Again, they all stepped into the fire and Flooed to the America mansion where the other parents were waiting. As soon as they were there, Draco and Harry flew into Lucius and Narcissa's arms, sobbing and begging them to save Harry. Lucius gave a brisk nod at Severus before holding the crying children to his chest. A few seconds later, Isabella arrived with Hermione's parents.

"What's happened, Severus?" Lily asked, coming to her husband's side.

Severus sighed and explained the whole ordeal to the anxious faces before him. When he was done, he leaned into Lily's side and hid his face in her hair, utterly terrified for Harry and Draco. The two boys in question were now clinging to each other, tears streaming down their faces.

"They can't take Harry from us…can they?" Draco asked in a shaky voice.

Lucius nodded. "They can if they decide we're bad parents. They could take you all."

"NO! NO DADDY PLEASE DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! I don't wanna leave Draco…" Harry shouted, burying his face into Draco's chest.

James covered his face with his hands. "Oh Merlin…" he moaned as Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"We'll get through this. No matter what happens, we'll get through it. I promise you." Peter said, sharing a look with his own wife.

As they stood there, discussing what to do, an owl flew into the room. It was from Albus Dumbledore.

_Dear Marauders,_

_I regret to inform you that I have reported the abuse of Harry James Potter to the Ministry. They have given me temporary custody of the boy until further investigations can be made. Please return him to Hogwarts. If he is not returned within the hour, I will be filing criminal charges. I am deeply sorry._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Lucius growled, crumpling the paper within his hand. "That's it. We're going to the American Ministry. We're in America which means the British ruling has no judgment. James, Sirius, stay with the children. Severus and I shall go to the Children's Advocacy office here."

Sirius nodded, his face pale.

"Harry is not leaving me. I will not allow that man to take him away." Draco said, tightening his arm around a sobbing Harry.

"Then we're all in agreement because we're not letting it happen either." Said Fred Weasley, stepping forward.

One by one, the Slytherin Marauders began to step forward and proclaim that they too would stop Albus Dumbledore in his tracks. Amazed, their parents watched as the young Marauders banded together to save two of their own.

Lucius and Severus returned a few minutes later with two men behind them. One of them James recognized as the Head of Child Advocacy on the American Wizarding Council.

"We hear you're having trouble with the British ministry." The man said, shaking everyone's hand in turn.

"Just a bit." Said James, looking over at Harry and Draco.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on and I'll head over to the British Ministry when we're done."

Once again, Severus told the entire story from the beginning, starting with Draco's Veela status and their bond. When he was done, the two men in front of him were wide-eyed and awestruck.

"I'm Andy Warstone by the way. We'll apparate over to the Ministry right now. With this as evidence, you won't have to worry about anything. Not even Albus Dumbledore can come between a bonded couple."

"We thank you for this. Draco and Harry have never been separated before. The idea that someone could come and separate them has them so scared they're clinging to each other."

Andy nodded. "Not to worry. We'll get this fixed right away."

James nodded, looking slightly better. "Thank you Mr. Warstone."

"Andy. Call me Andy."

"Andy then. Thank you."

The man nodded before Apparating out of the room. Draco, who still had both arms locked tightly around Harry, nodded over at Fred Weasley who smiled and came to stand in front of both boys. One by one, the Slytherin Marauders came to stand in a circle around the young boys. Draco's voice could be heard talking quietly to Harry and Harry could be heard giving small, whimpered answers. A few moments later, the crowd around the two cleared and Harry stood tall and proud beside his Mate. Draco looked both proud and ready to fight at a moment's notice. There was a look on his face, a feral look, which was mirrored by everyone in their group that seemed to say a million things all in one. The adults too shared a look, a look of shock because their children were showing such loyalty at such a young age. Pride welled within the adults as their children banded together.

"When we get back to Hogwarts, that old man has the largest and most elaborate prank we can come up with coming his way." Harry said, smirking at Draco.

"We're going back then?" Draco asked.

"Definitely. We've been waiting eleven years to attend Hogwarts. I'm not letting one meddling old coot spoil it for us. I was terrified when I thought they'd take you away from me…but I'll be okay now. We're together and we're all going to rain Hell down on Dumbledore's head."

Fred Weasley shared a smirk with his twin. "This sounds like fun." They said together.

Hermione grinned. "I'll be in charge of all research purposes." She said and Blaise laughed.

"I'll help 'Mione with the research but I'll also do some of the actual spell work."

Draco looked around at them all. "We'll need everyone to help with the research, guys. This is going to be the most elaborate prank we've ever pulled."

"Can we owl Luna? She may have an idea as to what we can do." Killian asked quietly.

"Good idea Killian. Luna always has brilliant ideas."

Killian took off to his bedroom to write to Luna as the others began talking about their ideas for a brilliant prank.

"Dumbledore was a Gryffindor, right?" Fred asked.

George nodded. "Of course he was. Bloody prat."

"I've got the perfect prank."

"Which is?"

"We turn everything Slytherin colors. It would piss him off to no end."

Draco thought about that. "He'd suspect us."

"True…"

"We need something that won't get us caught…"

The friends continued to think. A few minutes later, Killian came tearing down the stairs, carrying a letter in his left hand.

"Luna's brilliant you guys." He said, handing the letter to Draco who read it aloud.

"Dear Killian, Dumbledore happens to be terrified of snakes, you know. A prank involving snakes would be perfect. You could curse his chair to turn into snakes as he sits down. Lots of love, Luna."

"She's brilliant, isn't she? He couldn't blame it on us because we're only first years and shouldn't technically know transfiguration yet. But we could totally pull this off."

Draco and Harry looked at each other. "All right. But we still have quite a bit of research to do when we return to Hogwarts. We need to pull this off without going near his chair."

Harry nodded. "This needs to be perfect guys. This is our first prank of the year, let's make it a good one."

True nodded, giving them looks. "Understood."

Watching this exchange, the adults hid smiles. Dumbledore really had no idea what he had coming. He'd chosen the wrong family to mess with. There was a sudden crack and Andy Warstone reappeared, his partner by his side.

"Good news, the temporary custody order has been reversed. Harry and Draco are allowed to sleep wherever they'd like." He said.

"YES!" Draco and Harry hugged each other tightly before grinning at their parents.

"Told you we'd be okay." Draco told Harry gently and Harry grinned.

"I was just nervous is all Dray. It was scary thinking they'd take me away from you."

"I know."

Around them, the adults stared. They'd known how close Harry and Draco were but they hadn't quite grasped the concept of Mates. Well, Lucius and Narcissa had of course because they were Mated. The others, though, hadn't quite grasped it until that very moment. Harry had been terrified of being taken from Draco. As much as he loved his family, Draco was the one he was most scared of being taken from. Lucius, James, and Sirius thanked Andy and his partner before turning back to the children.

"Is everyone ready to return to Hogwarts?"

Draco nodded, smirking just a bit. "We're ready. Now that we know Dumbledore can't touch Harry we'll be okay."

Severus stepped forward. "All right. Everyone grab onto an adult's hand. We'll side-along apparate to the gates. Flooing would take too long."

"Okay dad." True said, grinning at her father as she took his hand.

Twenty two minutes later, the children were walking – as a group – into the grounds of Hogwarts. Standing on the front steps, his beard blowing in the slight breeze, was Albus Dumbledore. Draco tightened his arm around Harry as they walked, his gaze narrowing on Dumbledore as they reached him. Dumbledore didn't say anything to them, just moved aside to let them into the school. Severus led them to the dungeons and handed them their school schedules. Classes, of course, didn't start until Monday but Severus figured they might as well have them already.

"All right guys. You're free to go have fun. Stick close together. If Dumbledore gives you any trouble, come and find me."

"Okay Sev." Harry answered, grinning brightly.

The group left Severus' office and headed for the library, talking quietly amongst themselves. It was decided that, since they only really needed to research charms and snakes, everyone would split into groups of two and research charms and snakes. At the end of the day, they'd come together with what they'd discovered and talk about it.

Draco researched snakes while Harry chose charms because, well duh, he was good at charms. He'd been creating his own for a while now and had decided that, if they couldn't find a charm that would do what they needed it to do, he'd create one. It wasn't that hard, after all.

Before they started researching, they went over their nicknames again and decided to send each other letters with what they'd found periodically.

Three hours later, Draco sent off his first letter to the others. He inquired as to how the research was going and informed him that they would be transfiguring Dumbledore's chair into Boa Constrictors. He got a letter back from Arden, thanking him and inquiring as to Harry's research. Harry's research had come to an end and Harry was now working on his own charm. Draco informed the others as to this and told them all they might as well leave. Harry would figure it out soon.

Three hours later, Harry had perfected the spell. The spell word was '_Ad Viperae Cathedra_ ' and it was spoken softly while pointing your wand at the chair you wanted to turn to snakes.

"You're brilliant Harry." Arden greeted as they entered the common room.

Fred and George, who were lounging on the couch together, asked, "When'll we be putting the prank into action?"

Draco shared a look with Harry. "Next weekend. We don't want to do it too soon or Dumbledore will know it was us."

The small group shared a grin before changing the topic. They didn't notice the twinkling blue eyes watching them…


End file.
